Turning the flat square into four jumps is another option, it can be a great introduction to jumping your horse through big grids with a lot of bounces, also great for getting your horse to lift his legs...
Category: Schooling Exercises
Dante’s Diaries – Back To Flat
Dante is not like any other horse I have ridden before. He is so sensitive at the mouth & to be honest until you ride Dante, you wont understand what I really mean! I ride him in a snaffle bit, and although some people may suggest using a stronger bit on him for more control, I disagree..
Lessons with Coco ~ Rhythm & Bounce
And we're back! Check out how me and Coco got on in our first lesson back after our (involuntary) break where we tackled the square exercise and some bounces.
Sustaining Our Confidence – Jumping
Both Orla & I have run into problems jumping both Dante & Coco in the past. We're definitely making progress but we never stop learning when it comes to these two horses. And we can definitely say without a doubt that our confidence has been tested on a number of occasions when it came to putting these horses over a jump!
Sustaining My Confidence ~ Coco Edition
In the last year that I’ve had Coco, I’ve really found my confidence to be tested. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had plenty of experience riding young, green or difficult horses but that was long before my 2 year break from horse riding while I was in college. I knew once I got back into the swing of things I’d find my confidence again but when I started working with Coco, it definitely got knocked from time to time.
Dante’s Cross Jump Disaster
Excuse my french but holy F*#k, the next 15 minutes where the longest 15 minutes of my life, they were horrendous!!! The first 3 fences seem like such a blur now, but they were the only 3 fences
Lessons with Coco ~ Figure-of-8 Jumping Exercise
Me and Coco are finally starting to see some real progress. From our flatwork to our jumping, we're really starting to click. Check out how we got on with Sue's figure-of-8 jumping exercise.
Dante’s Diaries – Jumping Revisited
The one thing I will commend him on to be fair to him, in between fences he DIDN’T rush!! This in itself was such an achievement, he used to demolish fences but he really began to come back to me when I asked him too.
Dante’s Diaries – Ground Excercises
I use a lot of poles in the lunge arena when I lunge him, not only does it keep Dante’s brain constantly thinking and anticipating what’s going on, but I have found it also really helps me translate the exercise into riding
Dante’s Diaries – Working on that Outline
At the beginning he was quite confused as to why I was pushing him forward but at the same time holding him back from cantering on, eventually the pin dropped and he dropped his head
